Hacking new to the flash scene, have some questions

[Checkmate]

i joined way back in '05, but it's only now that i've become interested in expanding my ds' functionality

i have a ds lite, and i want to know:
[*]how do i back up my save file onto my computer? as in, the save file in my ds game card. seeing as they're both physical, tangible objects, i'm guessing i'll have to buy actual hardware to connect them.[*]what is the best flash card to buy? are there many cards, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, or is there a clear, 'superior' card that is far better than all of it's competition? how many ds games can this card store?[*]finally, in pokemon pearl/diamond, i'm able to insert a copy of any gba pokemon game in slot2 to catch extra pokemon. is there a gba flashcart i can buy, copy a gba pokemon game onto it, and take advantage of this pearl/diamond catching feature? seeing as i'll have to use my computer to copy gba games onto the gba flashcart, will i again have to buy extra hardware to connect this gba flashcart to my computer? like the ds flash card, "are there many carts, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, or is there a clear, 'superior' cart that is far better than all of it's competition? how many games can this card store?"

big thanks in advance to anyone who can answer all these questions

 

[lolzed]

easy
1.using your sdcard put it in the card reader and slot it in your pc,open it,copy the files,and paste it in a folder
2.read the reviews.the best would be CycloDS but it's costly,then again,best features.it stores on how many gigabytes you have in your sdcard
3.you could use EZ Flash 3-in-1 and it's the same with the flashcarts,except it plays gba roms,E-win 2lite,many more of these,just check the reviews and fine what you like

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

i joined way back in '05, but it's only now that i've become interested in expanding my ds' functionality

i have a ds lite, and i want to know:[*]how do i back up my save file onto my computer? as in, the save file in my ds game card. seeing as they're both physical, tangible objects, i'm guessing i'll have to buy actual hardware to connect them.
If you mean off a retail cart, you can do it over WiFi with Rudolph's WiFi NDS Backup Tool. There are many tutorials floating around, just use Google.[*]what is the best flash card to buy? are there many cards, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, or is there a clear, 'superior' card that is far better than all of it's competition? how many ds games can this card store?
The best flashcart out there is the CycloDS, but it's very expensive. Since you want to play GBA games too I suggest getting an M3DS Real. It's the best value for a flashcart and GBA expansion, plus it's right up there with the CycloDS for best flashcart. It's also much cheaper.[*]finally, in pokemon pearl/diamond, i'm able to insert a copy of any gba pokemon game in slot2 to catch extra pokemon. is there a gba flashcart i can buy, copy a gba pokemon game onto it, and take advantage of this pearl/diamond catching feature? seeing as i'll have to use my computer to copy gba games onto the gba flashcart, will i again have to buy extra hardware to connect this gba flashcart to my computer? like the ds flash card, "are there many carts, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, or is there a clear, 'superior' cart that is far better than all of it's competition? how many games can this card store?"
Just like I said before, get the M3DS Real bundle with the expansion. You just put the games on your M3DS Real and choose them in the menu. It'll load it to the expansion pack. It also has a linking feature, which basically means you can choose a game to be loaded onto the expansion but actually play the DS game. So if you chose to link FireRed to Diamond/Pearl, it would be the equivalent of having the real cartridge in the GBA slot, making those Pokemon catchable.big thanks in advance to anyone who can answer all these questions

Hope I could help.

 

[Checkmate]

thanks for the replies, most things have been cleared up but there is still stuff i'm not sure about...

easy
1.using your sdcard put it in the card reader and slot it in your pc,open it,copy the files,and paste it in a folder

card reader?

QUOTE(Sportsmaniac1322 @ Dec 22 2008, 07:55 PM) The best flashcart out there is the CycloDS, but it's very expensive. Since you want to play GBA games too I suggest getting an M3DS Real. It's the best value for a flashcart and GBA expansion, plus it's right up there with the CycloDS for best flashcart. It's also much cheaper.

Just like I said before, get the M3DS Real bundle with the expansion. You just put the games on your M3DS Real and choose them in the menu. It'll load it to the expansion pack. It also has a linking feature, which basically means you can choose a game to be loaded onto the expansion but actually play the DS game. So if you chose to link FireRed to Diamond/Pearl, it would be the equivalent of having the real cartridge in the GBA slot, making those Pokemon catchable.
big thanks in advance to anyone who can answer all these questions
Hope I could help.

so i should get m3ds real to cater to both nds and gba games? how does that work? i mean, i can't insert it in both slot1 and slot2, right?

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

thanks for the replies, most things have been cleared up but there is still stuff i'm not sure about...

easy
1.using your sdcard put it in the card reader and slot it in your pc,open it,copy the files,and paste it in a folder

card reader?
The M3DS Real comes with a microsd card reader. You put your microsd card in one end and the USB in the other. It makes it so you can use your microsd like a flash drive.

QUOTE(Sportsmaniac1322 @ Dec 22 2008, 07:55 PM) The best flashcart out there is the CycloDS, but it's very expensive. Since you want to play GBA games too I suggest getting an M3DS Real. It's the best value for a flashcart and GBA expansion, plus it's right up there with the CycloDS for best flashcart. It's also much cheaper.

Just like I said before, get the M3DS Real bundle with the expansion. You just put the games on your M3DS Real and choose them in the menu. It'll load it to the expansion pack. It also has a linking feature, which basically means you can choose a game to be loaded onto the expansion but actually play the DS game. So if you chose to link FireRed to Diamond/Pearl, it would be the equivalent of having the real cartridge in the GBA slot, making those Pokemon catchable.
big thanks in advance to anyone who can answer all these questions
Hope I could help.

so i should get m3ds real to cater to both nds and gba games? how does that work? i mean, i can't insert it in both slot1 and slot2, right?
The M3DS Real Perfect bundle comes with a slot 1 card (obvioiusly the M3DS Real) and a slot 2 expansion (called the M3 Expansion Pack). The slot 2 isn't actually a flashcart, but just a lot of memory. You put GBA games on your slot 1 card and when you choose the game it loads it onto the memory in the slot 2. You can then play it like a normal GBA game.

Feel free to ask anymore questions you may have.

 

[Checkmate]

thanks, that really cleared things up

also, i've been reading around the forum, and there are basically 3 cards being tooted around: m3ds real, cyclos ds and acekard. with cyclos ds and acekard, i'll have to buy separate slot2 (gba) devices, won't i? if so, m3ds real probably is the best option for me...

i've also heard about a new 'sakura' version coming out for m3ds. is this going to be released soon, or should i not bother waiting?


btw, you're from the states right? isn't it somewhere around 2am to 7am there 0_o?

regardless, thanks again for your time

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

thanks, that really cleared things up

also, i've been reading around the forum, and there are basically 3 cards being tooted around: m3ds real, cyclos ds and acekard. with cyclos ds and acekard, i'll have to buy separate slot2 (gba) devices, won't i? if so, m3ds real probably is the best option for me...

i've also heard about a new 'sakura' version coming out for m3ds. is this going to be released soon, or should i not bother waiting?


btw, you're from the states right? isn't it somewhere around 2am to 7am there 0_o?

regardless, thanks again for your time

Yeah you'll have to buy a separate slot 2 for those 2 cards. The M3DS Real is probably best in your situation.

The official version of Sakura is coming out soon, but it's not as big of a deal as it should be since there's an unofficial translation that's out already. Basically what they did is took the release from Japan and translated the whole firmware to English. It runs great. Here's the link to the faq: http://www.tinyurl.com/m3sakura.

It's 4:30 AM right now. I should probably be getting to bed right about now!

 

[gosp]

thanks, that really cleared things up

also, i've been reading around the forum, and there are basically 3 cards being tooted around: m3ds real, cyclos ds and acekard. with cyclos ds and acekard, i'll have to buy separate slot2 (gba) devices, won't i? if so, m3ds real probably is the best option for me...
Just make sure to get the 'perfect' bundle instead of the rumble or rumbleram bundle for the M3. The other cards use something like the 3-in-1, which offers GBA support but without some of the kicks that the M3 offers, such as Real Time Save and Cheats.

i've also heard about a new 'sakura' version coming out for m3ds. is this going to be released soon, or should i not bother waiting?
This is nothing but firmware. It's already out, and you can find the Sakura/Touchpod/iTouch loader in the M3 forum. If a new version of Sakura comes out, you just download it and put it on your card, so there's no point in waiting.


btw, you're from the states right? isn't it somewhere around 2am to 7am there 0_o?

regardless, thanks again for your time

Oh shi- He got it first!

 

[Deathmore]

Is the M3 expansion the only card that offers gba linking or cann EZ flash do it aswell. Also does the M3 work with other carts and also what's beter EZflash or Ewin. dont care about rumble

 

[berkley]

all cards can do gba linking, and the best for price slot 2 is the EZ Flash 3in1... Do you mean DS to DS? it's okay I would say 97% workability, over wifi all cards do it perfectly...

oh and I personally suggest, the CycloDS it has 100% gba and nds support, easiest to use cart ever, everything is drag and drop, once you get it place 1 file you download from there site onto your card to upgrade the firmware and then your ready to play, cheats are drag and drop 1 file (get your cheats from cheats.gbatemp.net (and you can also use the cheats to change what wild pokemon are so you dont need both the expansion pack and the slot 1)), the gba is built in with the firmware so no need for homebrew for that, and you dont even need to patch game that normally cause problems it auto patches when it loads

 

[Bri]

I just want to suggest that you do some research on the Acekard 2, Edge, and SCDS1 before deciding on an M3Real. Aside from the CycloDS (which is very expensive), those are probably the most recommended flash carts. There is no official English language Sakura, and it's unclear when one might come out (the Japanese Sakura has been out for many months now). Personally, I prefer the Acekard 2 because it has one of the nicest and most responsive menu systems available (I like it better than Sakura although some will disagree), and it happens to be the cheapest as well.

One question you'll want to answer is whether real-time game state dumps (aka RTS or "real-time saves") are an important feature for you, as only some of the flash carts have that feature. Here's a good thread about that feature and why you might or might not care about it: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=122300

For GBA, the EZFlash 3-in-1 will work with any of the aforementioned flash carts.

Most flash carts come with a microSD reader, but some carts (like the Acekard 2) are sold both with and without (for people who already have one) so make sure you get one that has a reader if you don't have one.

-Bri

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

I see more and more people recommending the M3DS Real over the SCDS1 nowadays mainly because of the added support for RTS and the superior GUI in Sakura. Yeah sure the official Sakura isn't released yet, but who cares? The version of Sakura we have now is great and the official release can't do too much more to top it. And most people prefer Sakura over Acekard2's menu, so as you've said before, you're in the minority.

Another reason I'm recommending the M3DS Real to him is because GBA games are important to him, and I don't think anyone can argue that the M3DS Real is the best flashcart out there for GBA games. It's got 100% compatibility, supports it directly from the menu (no need for GBA Exploader) and it has real time clock and real time save. No other combo of a slot 1 and slot 2 can match that.

 

[Bri]

I still see other flash carts recommended more than the M3Real, but I wasn't suggesting that Checkmate not consider the M3Real, only that he get a wider variety of opinions before making a decision.

Since there is no official Sakura in English, I find it difficult to recommend that flash cart to anyone who doesn't read Japanese. Sakura is pretty, but certainly not as straightforward as other menus and it definitely has its drawbacks (such as having to reboot every time you make a change to the settings). Maybe when an official menu comes out that fixes some of the problems my opinion will change, but I have a hard time recommending a cart to someone where you have to modify the official menu to use it.

-Bri

 

[Densetsu]

...it definitely has its drawbacks (such as having to reboot every time you make a change to the settings).

You don't have to reboot with NDS ROMs anymore. Only GBA ROMs still require a reboot after changing settings, but that's still a bit annoying.

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

Since there is no official Sakura in English, I find it difficult to recommend that flash cart to anyone who doesn't read Japanese.

You don't need to read Japanese. I don't know a lick of Japanese and I still use Sakura because every last bit is in English. It's the same exact thing as the original, just translated. You can't say a cart is bad because it doesn't use the official firmware. If that were true then the Acekard2 would be terrible because everyone uses AKAIO.

 

[Bri]

I typically recommend the Acekard 2 based on the official menu, not based on AKAIO. AKAIO offers additional features, but the official menu is very nice.

Anyway, I won't argue with you about which flash cart is best, because there's no single answer -- it always depends on what the user is looking for. In this case, I simply recommended that Checkmate get input from multiple people with multiple perspectives and choose the flash cart that he feels best meets his needs.

-Bri

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

I typically recommend the Acekard 2 based on the official menu, not based on AKAIO. AKAIO offers additional features, but the official menu is very nice.

Anyway, I won't argue with you about which flash cart is best, because there's no single answer -- it always depends on what the user is looking for. In this case, I simply recommended that Checkmate get input from multiple people with multiple perspectives and choose the flash cart that he feels best meets his needs.

-Bri

You're right on that it's always what people are looking for. I just don't like when people down on the M3Real because it's not the official menu, that's all. The Acekard2 is a great flashcart (it's what my sister has). I just feel the M3Real fits his needs better.

 

[PettingZoo]

CycloDS is nice and is in the top flashcarts, but the M3 Real is right beside it and imo is better. Simply because of Sakura and the triple booter. Also Sakura is nearing its official release. Also in some cases the M3 Real is cheaper than the CycloDS and is around the same price when buying the perfect bundle in Australia. But this is all my opinion.

I would recommend you goto ozmodchips.com and check out their stuff, mainly the M3 Real perfect bundle.

EDIT: Here are some stuff from OzModChips, compare M3 Real to CycloDS. These might be the best prices to get in Australia. Also you can take a look at this chart

 

[Checkmate]

uh...i'm a kiwi >_> the difference between our flags is that we have red stars instead of white ones

still know where i can get the m3 ds real perfect bundle cheapest (shipping included) ? >_>

 

[Sportsmaniac1322]

uh...i'm a kiwi >_> the difference between our flags is that we have red stars instead of white ones

still know where i can get the m3 ds real perfect bundle cheapest (shipping included) ? >_>

DealExtreme has them in stock. They're based in Hong Kong: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14165
OzModchips is based in Australia, which is sort of close to you

: http://www.ozmodchips.com/m3ds-real-rumble...-pack-p-79.html
Or you could order from the US of A: http://www.dealwoot.com/index.php?target=p...roduct_id=29837

All 3 places are good stores and won't rip you off, so it's up to you. Don't hesitate to ask more questions.